Project

Coastal Erosion and Indigenous Resilience

Community-led solutions to coastal erosion and intertidal access challenges.

Rising seas and eroding shorelines pose a growing threat to Indigenous lands and lifeways. This work supports tribal efforts to document and respond to coastal erosion, safeguard intertidal access, and integrate traditional knowledge into shoreline adaptation and planning.

Project Goals:

  • Understand how erosion is affecting tribal lands and intertidal zones.
  • Support community-led planning and resilience strategies.
  • Build storytelling and science communication tools around coastal change.
  • Integrate Indigenous knowledge into regional adaptation frameworks.

As coastal erosion reshapes shorelines across the region, tribal communities are grappling with its implications for land use, shellfish harvesting, cultural access, and sovereignty. Through this project, we are supporting tribal partners as they monitor and respond to these changes.

Working closely with Indigenous communities, we are helping document the lived impacts of erosion and collaborating on strategies that reflect Indigenous priorities and perspectives. While the science of shoreline change is important, so too is the cultural knowledge of the land. This work helps ensure that both are honored in planning for the future.

coastal erosion indigenous partnerships

Project Team:

  • The Next Wave of Maine’s Blue Economy

    Reflections from the 2025 Blue Economy Investment Summit, and the future of Maine's blue economy.

    Perspectives

  • Demystifying the Blue Economy

    The blue economy is a hot topic these days, but the meaning behind the term isn't always clear. In this blog, we break down what …

    Perspectives

  • Fisheries 101

    Fisheries are the backbone of our state's economy and cultural heritage, but these systems are complex, and managing them even more so. Read on for …

    Perspectives

  • Sea State Recap: Building Climate Ready Communities

    In this installment of the Sea State series at the Gulf of Maine Research Institute (GMRI), we hosted a timely conversation around supporting Maine communities …

    Perspectives